Sunday Roast vs Sunday Sharing: What Dublin Steakhouses Actually Serve

Two different Sunday formats get lumped together under one name. Here is what each actually gets you, and who in Dublin serves which.

Written by Steakhouse Dublin

“Sunday roast” and “Sunday sharing” get used almost interchangeably in Dublin, but they are two different formats. A roast is plated and traditional: one protein carved and served onto your plate with sides. Sharing is a table format instead, a big cut set down in the middle for everyone to divide up themselves, closer to how a steakhouse would serve any other large cut.

We checked the Sunday menus of the 22 steakhouses we track, and the split is not close. Most run a traditional roast. Only one, FIRE, brands its Sunday menu purely as sharing, and two others, Hawksmoor and Oxhorn Grill, run both formats side by side.

• What a Roast Gets You
• What Sharing Means
• The Two That Run Both
• A Real Verdict

What a Sunday Roast Actually Gets You

A Dublin steakhouse Sunday roast means roast beef or rib, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy, plated per person, the same format you would get in any traditional Irish Sunday dinner. All three F.X. Buckley locations run an identical “Sunday Roast” at €29.50, as does Bull & Castle. Brookwood serves a traditional Irish roast beef with trimmings, Marco Pierre White Donnybrook does a 7-hour slow-cooked featherblade version for €28.50, and Cowboy Steakhouse runs the cheapest of the group, a “Sunday Prime Roast” at €19.95.

What “Sunday Sharing” Means Instead

FIRE Steakhouse & Bar is the one Dublin steakhouse that brands its Sunday menu purely as sharing. “Steak Sharing Sundays” is a 600g sirloin for two from €89, served from 1pm, and there is no individually plated roast option alongside it. The format is table service rather than a set plate: the cut lands in the middle, and the table carves and portions it themselves, the same way you would handle any large sharing steak on any other night of the week. It just happens to be the thing FIRE does on Sundays instead of a roast.

The Two Restaurants That Run Both

Two Dublin steakhouses do not make you choose. Hawksmoor runs a standard Sunday Roast alongside “Sunday Feasting,” a sharing option for an extra €7 per person. Oxhorn Grill splits its Sunday menu into a Roast section, Yorkshire pudding and all, priced €21 to €24, and a separate “Sharing Steak” section priced €102 to €113 for the table. Both formats, same restaurant, same day, your choice at the table.

A Real Verdict, Both Ways

Reviews of the traditional roast format are mixed depending on the kitchen. One visitor to F.X. Buckley Monkstown left this after a disappointing plate:

“We were looking forward a ‘best Sunday roast in Dublin’ as advertised. What a disappointment! … The roast beef was chewy, lacking in flavour and the mash potato was watery. There was one lonely looking roast potato! The gravy was thin and lacking in the flavour you would expect with a roast dinner.”— Paradise42651666774, Tripadvisor

Others walk away happier with the same format at a different branch. A visitor to F.X. Buckley on Pembroke Street wrote simply: “Delicious roast beef traditional Sunday Roast with giant Yorkshire pudding!” It is a reminder that “roast” and “sharing” describe the format, not the quality, and both still come down to how the kitchen executes it on the day.

For the full list of which Dublin steakhouses run a Sunday roast, sharing menu or both, see our Sunday Roast Dublin page.

What Is Surf and Turf? What to Expect at a Dublin Steakhouse

Steak paired with seafood, usually prawns rather than lobster, and what that actually looks like on a Dublin plate.

Written by Steakhouse Dublin

Surf and turf just means a piece of meat and a piece of seafood on the same plate, usually a steak paired with prawns, scallops or lobster. The name is American in origin, pairing something from the sea (surf) with something from the land (turf), and it has been a steakhouse staple since the 1960s.

In Dublin, ask for surf and turf and you will almost always get a steak with prawns rather than lobster. That is not a downgrade exactly, it is just not what the name promises if you are picturing a fillet next to a lobster tail.

• What to Expect
• Only One Uses Lobster
• A Real Verdict

What to Actually Expect on the Plate

Most Dublin steakhouses treat surf and turf as an add-on rather than a dish in its own right: order your usual steak, then pay a supplement for a few grilled or garlic-butter prawns on top or on the side. Expect to add somewhere between €8 and €15 to the bill for that. The seafood is rarely the star of the plate. It is there to round out the steak, not compete with it.

Only One Dublin Steakhouse Actually Uses Lobster

We checked the menus of all 22 steakhouses we track across the city, and only one currently pairs a steak with real lobster rather than prawns: Hawksmoor Dublin, whose Surf & Turf is a fillet steak with a grilled half lobster and garlic butter, for €89. Marco Pierre White, FIRE, JD’s Steakhouse, Cowboy Steakhouse and F.X. Buckley Monkstown all run a version of the dish too, but the seafood is prawns in every case. See the full list, with prices, on our Surf and Turf in Dublin page.

A Real Verdict, From Someone Who Paid For It

Reviews of surf and turf tend to split on whether the lobster is worth the upcharge. One Tripadvisor review of Hawksmoor’s version put it plainly:

“The Steak is literally that, Fillet Steak, No Sauces. The Lobster, While tasty is a bit of an art form to get out of its Shell and to be honest while tasty, not really worth the money.”— blakeinator, Tripadvisor

That is a fair summary of the trade-off: you are paying for the novelty and the shellfish as much as for extra flavour, and whether that is worth it depends on how much you like the ceremony of cracking a lobster shell at the table.

For the full list of which Dublin steakhouses run a surf and turf, and what is actually in it, see our Surf and Turf in Dublin page.

What Is a Pre-Theatre Dinner? What to Expect at a Dublin Steak Restaurant

A fixed-time, fixed-price meal built to get you fed and out the door before curtain-up, and what that actually looks like at a steakhouse.

Written by Steakhouse Dublin

A pre-theatre dinner is a fixed-price, fixed-time meal, usually served somewhere between 5pm and 6.30pm, built to get you fed and out the door before curtain-up. At most Dublin restaurants that’s just early bird wearing a different name. At a steakhouse, it changes the food a bit more than that.

A porterhouse built for two people to share, or a tomahawk that’s spent six weeks dry-ageing, doesn’t belong on a table with a show to catch. So the better pre-theatre menus swap those out for something faster: a single sirloin or a flat iron, two or three courses that land inside eighty minutes without you having to flag down the waiter.

• Pre-Theatre vs Early Bird
• What to Expect
• Only One Steakhouse Calls It That
• A Real Verdict
• The Theatres

Pre-Theatre vs Early Bird: What’s Actually Different

Most guides to Dublin pre-theatre dining treat the term as interchangeable with early bird, and honestly, they’re usually right to. Dish Cult’s rundown of where to eat before a show covers several Dublin restaurants doing exactly this: same kitchen, same set menu, just served earlier. At FIRE Steakhouse & Bar, the pre-theatre menu and the early bird menu are the same thing, from €42 for two courses, Monday to Friday, 5pm to 6.30pm. What makes it “pre-theatre” rather than just “early” is the promise underneath it. The kitchen knows you have somewhere to be, and the table is timed accordingly, not discounted because it’s quiet before 7.

What to Actually Expect at the Table

Book a pre-theatre table and the pace of the meal is largely decided before you sit down. Staff usually ask what time your show starts the moment you’re seated, and from there the sitting runs itself: bread and drinks ordered together, starters and mains often confirmed in one go rather than two separate rounds, and a gentle nudge toward dessert or the bill depending on how the clock looks. The wine list shrinks too. Nobody is opening a serious bottle at quarter to six for a table leaving by seven, so pre-theatre menus tend to stick to wine by the glass rather than the full cellar. None of this makes for a rushed meal so much as a managed one. The kitchen has done the thinking for you.

Only One Dublin Steakhouse Actually Calls It That

We track 22 steakhouses across the city for this site, and when we checked which ones put the actual words “pre-theatre” on their own menu, only one came back yes: FIRE. Marco Pierre White on Dawson Street, Morelands Grill and Hawksmoor all run early-evening set menus doing the same job (Hawksmoor bills its own outright as a pre-theatre option), they just haven’t put FIRE’s label on it. Worth knowing if you go looking for the phrase and don’t find it on a menu you’re holding. The timing is usually there even when the name isn’t.

A Dinner-and-a-Show Verdict, From Someone Who Actually Did It

One review sums up what the format is supposed to deliver better than we could write it ourselves. Janette P, visiting Dublin in August 2025, left this after a night at FIRE:

“I’m surprised that Fire Steakhouse is not rated as the #1 Restaurant in Dublin. The four of us had a PHENOMENAL dining experience before going to see Riverdance 30 just a short walk down the street. The delicious cuisine, the beautiful presentation, the attentive service, and the lovely ambiance made it the PERFECT evening for us.”— Janette P, Tripadvisor

That’s the whole pitch in one sitting: a proper dinner, a short walk, and a seat before the lights go down.

The Theatres People Are Usually Racing To

Dublin’s pre-theatre crowd is mostly timing dinner around a handful of venues. The Gaiety Theatre on South King Street, just off Grafton Street, is the one most associated with panto and musicals. The Olympia on Dame Street has been running since 1879 and covers everything from gigs to comedy to drama. The Abbey on Lower Abbey Street is Ireland’s national theatre, and the Gate on Cavendish Row does the classics. Smock Alley, tucked down a lane in Temple Bar, is the oldest of the lot by centuries. The outlier is the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre out in the Docklands. It’s the biggest of the group and hosts the touring musicals, but it sits well away from Dublin’s main steakhouse cluster around Dawson Street and Temple Bar, so getting there after dinner usually means a taxi rather than a walk.

For the full list of which Dublin steakhouses run a pre-theatre or early-evening menu, matched to the theatre each sits closest to, see our Pre-Theatre Menus in Dublin page.

The image above is sourced from FIRE Steakhouse & Bar’s official website and remains their property.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why a Steakhouse is Perfect for Every Occasion in Dublin

From date nights and family lunches to client meetings and Christmas parties: why a steakhouse works for almost any booking in Dublin, and which rooms suit which occasion.

Written by Steakhouse Dublin

Dublin has somewhere for every mood: tapas for a casual bite, fine dining for a blowout, pubs for everything in between. But when the booking actually matters, most people land on a steakhouse. There is a reason for that. Steak is the meal we associate with marking something, whether it is a promotion, an engagement, a birthday, or simply the end of a long week that deserved better.

Below we have matched Dublin’s steakhouses to the occasions they suit best. Every restaurant tagged has its own page in our directory with menus, price bands and booking links, so you can compare before you commit to anything.

Find the Right Steakhouse for Your Occasion

• Romantic Evenings
• Family Celebrations
• Business Dining
• Weekend & Holidays
• Life’s Big Moments
• No Reason At All

Romantic Evenings

Anyone searching for romantic restaurants in Dublin ends up weighing the same things: lighting, noise, and whether the kitchen will rush you. A good steakhouse quietly wins on all three. The rooms are built around low light and unhurried service, and the menu is made for two people taking their time over a shared chateaubriand and a decent bottle. That is why the city’s steakhouses are the first tables to go for Valentine’s Day dinner, wedding anniversaries and proposal celebrations. For a date night restaurant in Dublin with a view, a rooftop terrace over the Docklands takes some beating, while the candlelit rooms on Dawson Street have seen more than a few rings produced over dessert. We have also put together a full guide to the best date night steak restaurants in Dublin.

Family Celebrations

Family occasions need a room that can seat eight people without fuss and feed everyone from a picky teenager to a granddad who only ever orders sirloin, well done. That flexibility is what makes steakhouses some of the most reliable family celebration restaurants in Dublin, whether the booking is a birthday dinner, a graduation, or a table for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Sharing cuts do a lot of the work at a family table, and a proper Sunday roast in Dublin saves whoever usually cooks from spending the day at the oven. If getting the whole family into town is more hassle than it is worth, Blanchardstown and Monkstown both have solid options of their own.

Business Dining

The business lunch and the steakhouse grew up together, and the format still suits work better than almost anything else: menus nobody needs explained, tables far enough apart to talk numbers, and service that knows when to leave you alone. That makes a steakhouse the safe call for corporate lunches and client meetings in Dublin, and several of the rooms below run set lunch menus that keep the bill predictable. For team celebrations and Christmas party bookings, private dining rooms in Dublin book out months ahead, so it is worth sorting December long before the decorations go up.

Weekend & Holiday Dining

Bank holiday weekends, staycations and public holidays are when Dublin’s restaurants are at their busiest, and a steakhouse is one of the few places where a weekend treat feels like an occasion without needing one. It comes down to the format again: a steak dinner has a beginning, a middle and an end, which is exactly what a lazy bank holiday afternoon calls for. City centre rooms fill up fast on a Saturday night, so book ahead and check our weekend menus in Dublin page for what is running. If you would rather eat local than face town, Terenure and Dundrum both have neighbourhood steakhouses of their own.

Celebrating Life’s Big Moments

Promotions, engagements, retirements and reunions with people you have not seen in twenty years deserve better than somewhere picked in a panic. This is where the steakhouse earns its standing as the default special occasion restaurant in Dublin. A serious cut of beef, a wine list with real depth and a room with a sense of event give the night the weight it should have, and nobody at the table needs the menu explained to them. If the celebration dinner is for someone else, a restaurant gift voucher in Dublin lets them pick their own night. It is the rare gift that never ends up in a drawer.

Sometimes You Don’t Need a Reason

Not every steak dinner needs a milestone attached. Catching up with friends, trying a wine you cannot pronounce, or closing out a rough week with some of the best steak in Dublin, cooked by someone who does it better than you, is reason enough. Midweek is quietly the best time to do it: the rooms are calmer, bookings are easier, and early bird menus in Dublin make a Tuesday steak far more reasonable than it sounds. A few of the rooms below also run wine lists deep enough to keep you exploring for months.

Whatever the occasion, or the lack of one, start with our full directory of Dublin steakhouses, or narrow it down by area, from Dublin 2 to the south Dublin suburbs.

What Dublin Locals Say About Our Steakhouses

We read through Dublin’s Reddit threads, Facebook groups and review sites to see which steakhouses locals actually recommend — not just star ratings, but the names that keep coming up in real conversations.

Written by Steakhouse Dublin

Star ratings only tell half the story, so we spent time reading through Dublin-focused Reddit threads, local Facebook groups, and discussions on Tripadvisor, Boards.ie and WineBerserkers, looking for restaurants that came up again and again as genuine, unprompted recommendations. A handful of names stood out.

The name that keeps coming up: FIRE Steakhouse & Bar

For a special-occasion steak dinner, FIRE Steakhouse & Bar is the name locals reach for most — mentioned repeatedly as the reliable choice for anniversaries, birthdays and visiting guests, in line with its reputation as Dublin’s top-rated steakhouse.

“French onion soup from Fire. I wept.”

— r/Dublin, Reddit

Everyday favourites Dublin locals keep recommending

Alongside FIRE, these are the steakhouses that came up most often when locals were recommending somewhere for a great steak without the special-occasion price tag.

“FX Buckley is miles better, it’s arguably the best steak and roast you can get in Dublin and they source the meat from their own butchers.”

— r/Dublin, Reddit

“Whatever steak F.X. Buckley wants to serve me.”

— r/Dublin, Reddit

“Another vote for Darwin’s on Aungier St. Superb.”

— Boards.ie discussion

What about Hawksmoor?

Feedback on Hawksmoor was more mixed than for the names above — plenty of diners enjoy the setting and the desserts, but just as many felt the price didn’t quite match the size or quality of the steak. Worth trying, but go in with realistic expectations.

“Both are class restaurants though no doubt.”

— r/Dublin, Reddit

“Hawksmoor was very overrated imo.”

— r/Dublin, Reddit

Quotes above are taken from public discussions on Reddit’s r/Dublin and Boards.ie, linked at each mention. We paraphrase and summarise the wider conversation elsewhere on this page, and only use direct quotes where we could link back to the original public post.

Frequently Asked Questions